The prosecutor’s office warns that all those involved in Operation Influential Man could disrupt the investigation.

The Prosecutor’s Office (PO) argues that those involved in Operation Influential have the ability to disrupt the investigation and that the risk of flight, further criminal activity and a threat to public order remains.

“It is absolutely right to say that, given the way the crimes were committed, the accused will certainly communicate with each other again in order to disrupt the investigation this time, in particular in the collection of evidence,” the prosecutor said. Appeal by a deputy to the Lisbon Court of Appeal (TRL) against the coercive measures applied on November 13 by Judge Nuno Dias Costa of the Central Criminal Court (TCIC).

Diogo Lacerda Machado (consultant and friend of the Prime Minister) was then given a bail of 150 thousand euros and a ban on traveling abroad upon surrender of his passport, while Vítor Escaria (Chief of Staff to António Costa) was also punished. this is the last resort.

The mayor of Sines, Nuno Mascarenhas, and administrators Rui Oliveira Neves and Afonso Salema of Start Campus were left with only an identity document and a period of residence (TIR), while the company was required to pay a deposit of 600 thousand euros.

In the appeal, which Lusa had access to and which was filed by Expresso, the deputy reiterates that there is strong evidence of the crimes in question – corruption, peddling of influence, malfeasance and undue benefit.

And he emphasizes that “the content of conversations” when listening to defendants should be given more credibility than “the version presented during interrogation, which has already been prepared and considered according to the “truth” most convenient for the defense.”

According to the deputy, the judge made several errors in his assessments, especially in crimes of corruption and malfeasance, which were not considered sufficiently incriminating.

Prosecutors point out, for example, that in the case of corruption, the advantage that is relevant under criminal law “is something that is offered or requested without the need for it to be actually given,” and that malfeasance does not depend on the result, but on the action with the intent to benefit to third parties or harm the state.

The MP understands that the proposed enforcement measures “were and remain proportionate to the very high gravity of the offenses charged and the penalties expected to be imposed on them”, despite the fact that he emphasizes “circumstances of obvious importance for decision-making” that In the meantime, events took place such as the dismissal of Vitor Escaria, the dismissal of António Costa as prime minister and the dissolution of parliament for early legislative elections.

Prosecutors also allege that now-former infrastructure minister João Galamba acted as the “author and true mentor” of the schemes in favor of Start Campus and that he “acted in collusion” with defendants Afonso Salema and Rui Oliveira Neves.

“What really matters is that negotiations are taking place, this is simply the ‘marketing’ of government functions,” they say.

Regarding the mayor of Sines, Nuno Mascarenhas, against whom the judge did not confirm the criminal evidence, the deputy believes that it does not matter that he delegated powers to a councilor, since an agreement will be reached to influence decisions regarding the Start Campus project.

He also adds that the mayor could not promise greater speed and conditioned this on providing support to the festival or the football club Vasco da Gama de Sines.

On the other hand, the appeal also admits that there were errors in the indictment.

In addition to the MP, the defense team of Diogo Lacerda Machado and Vitor Escaria also filed an appeal in December with the TRL against the coercive measures applied by the TCIC, arguing that only the TIR, the least serious coercive measure, should be applied to the two defendants.

On November 7, as a result of Operation Influential Man, Antonio Costa’s chief of staff, Vitor Escaria, lawyer and consultant Diogo Lacerda Machado, Start Campus administrators Afonso Salema and Ruy Oliveira Neves, and Sines Mayor Nuno Mascarenhas were arrested. . Also accused are former infrastructure minister João Galamba, Portuguese Environment Agency president Nuno Lacasta, lawyer João Thiago Silveira and the company Start Campus.

However, the process was divided into three investigations related to the construction of a data center in the industrial and logistics zone of Sines by Start Campus, lithium exploration in Montalegre and Boticas (both areas of Vila Real) and lithium production. energy from hydrogen in Sainz.

Prime Minister António Costa, who was involved in this case, was the subject of an investigation launched by a deputy of the Supreme Court, a situation that forced him to resign and the President of the Republic to call early elections to the Supreme Court. 10th of March.